We Hear You! Letters from Our February 2013 Issue

Within a few minutes of reading, my eye was quickly drawn to the title "If great poets had sexted...." by Linda Yellin followed by very graphic "sexting" descriptions.

Seriously?

As a parent, I recently attended an information and prevention session about this very topic and within a month I find your magazine making light of the issue of sexting.
I'm sure you are aware that this horrible pattern has begun to be prevalent in not only our adult day to day dating and relationship environment, but in high school and middle schools environments as well.

Such a poor, graphic and mostly irresponsible attempt at humor. I expect "More" from your magazine.--Nancy Bass

This evening, I bought my first issue of MORE magazine after standing in line at a local grocery store. I just turned 40, and I thought I should try something more grown-up than People or Us for a change. I had no expectations of your magazine, and I settled in on the couch with it right after dinner. I've never written to the Editor-in-Chief of any magazine before, but I really felt the need to give you and your staff some feedback after I read the story called "The Sister Pact" by Lee Woodruff.

I'm very sorry for all those who are affected by Alzheimer's Disease. It's horrible, I know. My Mom is 69 and has been on a slow decline for the past 10 years. Both of her parents died from Alzheimer's so it's not surprising she also got it, and there's a chance that I'll get it, too, someday. I've thought a lot about how that might affect my husband, because I see what a toll this has taken on my Dad, my brother and all of our extended family. My Mom was the light of our family--a nurturer with a gentle soul and intelligent wit. She was my best friend. Even though her body is still here, she is gone. I grieve for her in waves and can't imagine a worse fate for someone who was such a private, elegant, articulate person.

While I relate to the author and her sisters, and I'm so sorry for them and their parents, I think it was very irresponsible of MORE to include this passage on page 70: "[...] my doctor friend gets to the heart of the matter, the information I have asked him to provide. We all lean intently toward the speaker phone. 'If I were going to take my life, this is what I would do,' he says, then proceeds to outline an easy way: Combine sleeping pills and alcohol and slip away painlessly. 'Lots of pills but no more than two drinks,' he cautions. 'You don't want to induce vomiting.' The simplicity of this plan and our collective mental picture silenced us for a few beats as we search one another's faces. Yes. We can do this."

My husband, Kevin, and I were quite taken aback by this passage. There are lots of people touched by Alzheimer's Disease, and not all of them have the support network that this author and her sisters have in each other. And not everyone is as well-adjusted. It is very depressing to watch someone you love slip away over a period of years. I am lucky that I also have a strong support network of friends and family, and my husband always offers comforting words and a warm shoulder for me to cry on. I also have a strong faith in God, and these things combine to help me through the pain of losing my Mom. But if I had read this article 3 or 4 years ago, I might very well have headed out to look for sleeping pills and alcohol, not more than 2 drinks so as not to induce vomiting. I was in a deep depression and felt very alone back then. I bought your magazine tonight to decompress after a long work week--I was especially excited to read "Living Without a To-Do List"--so it was upsetting to find a prescription for suicide in the face of Alzheimer's Disease.

I'm sure MORE magazine has lots of loyal readers, so you have a responsibility to remove reckless and dangerous material that's submitted to you for publication. I hope you can understand my point of view.--Karen Froehlich

I am a bit behind in my reading and only recently read the February edition. I was very disappointed and surprised by the article "If great poets had sexted..." I felt it was way out of line for More magazine and would be more fitting for Cosmo. Please reconsider this type of article before it makes the cut in a future More.

I was informed that I had won a daily prize. That is great news! However, the notification didn't specify what type of gift card it is. Could you please enlighten me? My granddaughter is so excited about all of this. My address is carolmaloney33@yahoo.com. This may not be the correct forum for this but Iwas not given a contact address. Thank you.(And by the way, I do love the magazine!)

I'm very saddened by the "If great poets had sexted..." article by Linda Yellin. I'm a poet of over 40 years and have a great love of reading and poetry. I thought the Sext comments were vulgar and disheartening. I am so disappointed to read this in More Magazine. I read this mag because it is appropriate for over 40 women, who are classier and more elegant than this type of junk. Please reconsider printing crap in the future.

RE: Jane Shepard's response to Roe v Wade
To your commenter Jane Shepard, First of all, thank you very much for your concern for the doctor & his staff's well being after his name was in print as an abortion doctor. Unfortunately Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in his church on May 31, 2009 by an extreamist anti-choice. While I apprecieate your concern of using his name for fear of extreamists, it is the same reason I fear putting my name out there. After long discussion with my family, I chose to let my full name be known. I am in a small town. I sit in a pew every weekend. I shop the same stores. I am your neighbor. I can't be "annonymous".
Thank you for your concern ~
Ginger Thew

As I am currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer, I found the article about targeted cancer treatments very interesting. While they won't help me, any step forward is good. The next step needs to be a diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. Currently, there aren't any, a situation that is unbelievable in 2013. I was one of the lucky ones, mine was discovered along with uterine cancer both at stage 2, so my prospects for recovery are excellent.

RE: Roe V Wade 40 year anniversary article.
My 91-year-old grandmother was raped in 1936 when she was 14. For 77 years she has not been able to speak about the abuse without clamming up and/or bursting into tears as she leaves the room.
She delivered a beautiful baby girl (my mother) and her immigrant parents (my great-grandparents) from Italy raised her with love and commitment. It's unimaginable to me what would have happened to the four ensuing generations if my teen-aged grandmother had "chosen" to abort.
Forty years since Roe V Wade and 50+ million little ones later it's still and always will be a hot-button for most Americans. By the way, I think it's interesting to note (and should have been included in the article) that Norma McCorvey, now a staunch Pro-Life advocate, has dedicated her life to seeing that Roe is overturned. http://www.lifenews.com/2013/01/22/woman-behind-roe-v-wade-im-dedicating...

My name is Nicole and I am the Customer Service Manager for Dahn Yoga. I would like to thank Ms. MacKenzie for her objectivity and not following the popularity of hearsay. We understand and accept that past litigation involves claims that would make interesting reading and generate considerable media coverage. However, none of claims have held up in court. As did I many, many years ago, I am impressed that she simply tried our class and drew from her own experience. Also, as a previous manager of a fitness club and a participant in many programs, I have finally reached a peaceful conclusion that a mix of activities, with Dahn Yoga as the foundation, keeps me in the best possible healthy condition. I do not look or feel my age of 52. I am very happy I did not follow what was written about Dahn so very many years ago. I will be following your magazine henceforth. Again, thank you.

re your "Asia Major" feature on pages 80-87: what were you thinking?! The platform "shoes", esp. on p. 82-3 are ridiculous, stupid, and dangerous. They're pretty to keep on display, but would a sane, intelligent woman actually first of all buy them, at those prices, then wear them?! C'mon. We're smarter than that.

Today is my first time reading through your site and I really so far have enjoyed it very much. I'm older 66 still working full time, and I was looking to find something that is interesting to me. Although my birth certificate says I'm 66 my brian still thinks I 56, thus just looking at your content, it's going to be fun and informative. I wrote my first article already, and now I'm ready to read and comment on some great looking stories. Dorothy

Regarding Roe v. Wade: I don't believe that ANY child is unwanted, even the special needs children. That could be confirmed by every adoption agency in the county with long waiting lists of parents who want these children. I think it is tragic to tell a woman that her child has no place in this world. Every life cut short by abortion for the convenience of another is a terrible waste. - Debbie in Florida

I read your article on Dahn yoga & was enthusiastic. I even ordered the DVD! Then I did some research online. The "creator" & his chain of studios have been the subject of multiple lawsuits (including sexual abuse of emotionally vulnerable young women) across the nation. They have been likened to a cult & are definitely high pressure sales people. Practitioners of all walks of traditional yoga call it a farce. If you had done fifteen minutes of research, you would never have included this in your magazine. I'm disappointed.

I am extremely concerned that the author of "Boredom Busing Workouts" did not do sufficient research on Dahn Yoga before recommending it to readers. Dahn is extremely controversial and has been implicated in cult actives and settled several lawsuits out of court for abuses to its followers, including a wrongful death suit. There are documentaries and numerous articles and exposes about this yoga practice that requires immense time and monetary commitments from its followers. Please, please please do more research!!!